The nene, or Hawaiian goose, has come to symbolize one of the natural wonders of the Hawaiian Islands. But like many of Hawaii’s native flora and fauna, human activities and introduced animals reduced the nene population to as few as 30 birds in the wild and 13 birds in captivity. Recognizing that the species was endangered, conservation biologists in the late 1940s undertook a captive breeding program to assist in population recovery.

A display includes a nene nest tub with sample eggs.

Amy talks about nene with young visitors.

We also displayed the field equipment we use to transport birds to our release sites. In the “Keiki Zone”, children made enrichment items for the birds, practiced their bird-watching skills, and identified real feathers, eggs, and nests. Guests, children and adults alike, enjoyed posing in our giant nene cutout. The crowning activity, of course, was viewing two of our charismatic nene, Little Mickey and Red Rocket.

Through this open house, MBCC biologists hope the local community will join us in our conservation goals and aid in the stewardship of natural resources. Together we can keep the endangered nene from going extinct.

Amy Poopatanapong is a research coordinator at the San Diego Zoo’s Maui Bird Conservation Center.

Alala Kinohi

Kinohi, a male ‘alala (Hawaiian crow), has finally found a place to call home-away-from-home here at the Wild Animal Park. After flying in from Hawaii in May (see previous post, ‘Alala Takes Extraordinary Flight), he spent his first 30 days in quarantine at the San Diego Zoo’s Harter Veterinary Medical Center (HVMC). He was then moved to the off-exhibit Bird Breeding Center at the Wild Animal Park, where we thought he would stay.

As crows are highly susceptible to West Nile virus, his enclosure had to be lined with fine-mesh mosquito netting. Unfortunately, the netting not only kept out the mosquitoes but also reduced airflow through the enclosure, and when summer turned up the heat, not even the water spraying down from the misters could keep his area cool. So, Kinohi was moved back to the HVMC. He now has a large room with a big skylight, two cardboard “nest” boxes, many perches, a bath, several toys, and, of course, air conditioning. His room has a camera, and the keepers can monitor his activity throughout the day. From what they can see, Kinohi likes this quiet and cool room; he appears calm and quite content.

And calm is much better for those of us working with him. Kinohi was sent here so that Dr. Barbara Durrant, director of Reproductive Physiology at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, and her staff could train him for semen collection. As one of only 60 ‘alala left in the world, Kinohi is very important to that population; unfortunately, he is behaviorally compromised and will not breed. His genes will be lost unless we intervene. Our goal is to collect semen to artificially inseminate a compatible female. We also hope to store some of the ‘alala’ semen in the Frozen Zoo. (See previous post, Freezing and Thawing: Not so Easy)

Working with Kinohi certainly is a challenge. Crows are very smart, and if we are not careful, he’ll end up training us instead of the other way around! Luckily, we have had the help of the keepers at both the HVMC and the Bird Breeding Center. They have shared their insights with us as well as making sure all of Kinohi’s needs are met, from food and water to appropriate perches and toys. Park animal trainer Kim Caldwell also gave us advice and taught us the proper way to reward Kinohi during training.

We’ve had to spend time getting to know Kinohi’s personality and gaining his trust. In the beginning, he would never sit still for long, and we felt successful if we had just one solid minute to pet him and left without any new bruises from his beak pounding on our ankles. But little by little we have seen Kinohi transform from an anxious bird, constantly hopping from perch to ground, to one who sits contentedly to get his head scratched. He now perches with his feathers so fluffed that he almost looks like a youngster, and he will even close his eyes while I rub his head feathers and Barbara pets his back and tail, abdomen and cloaca. (The cloaca is the opening through which birds secrete sperm as well as feces and urine.) Eventually he sidles away, hops over to his cardboard box, and fusses with the grasses inside, mumbling to himself. Then we try to lure him back. When he cooperates, he gets one of his favorite treats: a piece of mouse or a waxworm. When he refuses to come back, the session is over.

We feel positive about the progress we’ve made, but our time is running out. Last week, Kinohi started molting. When birds start expending energy to replace their feathers, it is a good indication that the breeding season is over and sperm production is ending. Thus, in our case, Kinohi’s molt tells us that we are not going to collect any sperm this year. Kinohi, however, will be spending the entire year here at the Wild Animal Park, and Barbara and I will be visiting him every day so that next year, when breeding season rolls around again, he should be ready to donate sperm samples to help save his species.

Dianne Van Dien is a research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. Read Dianne’s previous post, Frozen Zoo: One Step Forward.

Although this marks the end of an era, it gave the program staff a chance to reflect on the remarkable life of this wonderful little bird. Affectionately known as “Studbook #3,” he hatched in May 1999 from an egg collected from the wild—one of the first potential founders of the captive ‘akepa flock. This means that he was just over 10 years old at the time of his death. Not bad for a little guy typically weighing in at 10.2 grams or 0.36 ounces. (When you weigh only 10 grams, those extra 0.2 grams count for a lot!) But this is relatively heavy compared to an ‘akepa chick, which weighs less than 1 gram (0.03 ounces) at hatch—one of the smallest passerine species to have been raised artificially from the egg, and quite a challenge for our team of hand-rearers (see post, A Small but Mighty Akepa).

Although Hawaii ‘akepa are not one of Hawaii’s most critically endangered bird species, having the ‘akepa flock in managed care has enabled us to develop and refine techniques that we hope to use in the recovery of their more endangered relatives within the subfamily of Hawaiian honeycreepers. The remainder of the managed-care ‘akepa flock were eventually released in 2007, in an initial attempt to reestablish a wild population in a restored patch of forest on the Big Island known as Kipuka 21 (see post, Kipuka 21: A New Home for Our Creeper and ‘Akepa). However, due to an accident in his aviary as a fledgling, which resulted in a major part of one of his legs being amputated, #3 was considered not fully equipped to lead a healthy life in the wild. Instead, he was destined for our education aviary.

It was amazing to see how he thrived in the captive environment on only one leg. “Thrived” is perhaps an understatement, because he was well known to crowds of school children visiting KBCC for his dazzling acrobatics, whether he was hanging upside-down from the roof of his aviary, or a flash of orange feathers hot on the pursuit of fruit flies and moths, only to elegantly alight on a perch with perfect balance on his one good leg (scoring 10 points from the Russian judge).

But ‘Akepa #3 is not the only bird that we believe has set a managed care longevity record for its species. Puaiohi #5, better known as Green Mama, is still going strong at the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) despite veterinary issues, having hatched in 1996. Puaiohi #9 is only a year behind her and is still siring offspring this season at the age of 12. Not to be outdone, Palila #11 has been laying fertile eggs at the grand old age of 13, while 12-year-old Maui Parrotbill #1 continues to chase females less than half his age.

It is not unusual for tropical bird species to lead long lives, since they do not experience the extreme challenges that the seasons bring for birds in temperate climes. Very often their annual reproductive rate is low, too—the antithesis of “Live fast, die young.” Furthermore, with a consistent, healthy food supply and veterinary care, birds in managed care frequently have the ability to outlive their wild counterparts. Of course, these smaller passerines cannot compete with the larger species, such as corvids, which are renowned for their longevity. Consequently, the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program honors undoubtedly goes to Kalani, ‘alala studbook #27. At the ripe old age of 28, Kalani is the old man of the program. Although time has certainly mellowed him, he is reputed to be a grumpy old man, at that.

Richard Switzer is the Conservation Program Manager for the Institute for Conservation Research’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

Read Richard’s previous post, Naming ‘Alala Chicks.

The contest was organized by Julie Williams, program coordinator and science resource teacher at Keakealani Outdoor Education Center, which drew in a large number of suggestions. The staff of the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program who had reared the chicks then selected the four names that best suited their individual corvid characters.

The names chosen were:
Iolana – to soar
Ikaika – strong
`Imi pono – to seek goodness
Po`noe – night mist

The worthy winners and their families were then led on a tour of KBCC, where they got the chance to encounter three resident `alala in our education aviary and see puaiohi chicks being hand-reared. Before leaving, each winner was presented with a photographic portrait of the `alala that had received the name they suggested.

Each year, several thousand school children visit KBCC, thanks to programs run by Keakealani Outdoor Education Center, Kamehameha Schools, and other organizations. The visits provide the students with a deeper appreciation for the unique diversity of Hawaiian birds, their habitats and their threats, as well as smiles and even occasional wide-eyed wonderment. We also hope that the students leave with the inspiration to protect and conserve Hawaii’s ecosystems in the future.

Richard Switzer is the conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

Read previous posts, ‘Alala Takes Extraordinary Flight and Puaiohi: 300th Chick.

The puaiohi is one of the four target passerine (perching birds) species for our program’s bird breeding activities. In fact, the puaiohi is undoubtedly our most productive species; it was only April 2006 that marked the hatching of the 200th chick (see post, The 200th Puaiohi).

Even more crucially, the puaiohi is the subject of an ongoing release effort in its last stronghold, the Alakai Swamp, a wet upland plateau on the island of Kauai. Working with our partners, the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, we have released 176 puaiohi since 1998 (see post, Spreading the Puaiohi across the Alakai).

So far, chick #300 is growing rapidly and developing well, fueled by its diet of bee larvae, papaya, scrambled egg, cricket, and mealworm guts. Initially, hand-rearing feeds are painstakingly provided on the hour, 15 times per day; the frequency is reduced as the chick grows and becomes more robust. We hope this youngster will continue to make good progress and will either be retained in the breeding program at the Maui and Keauhou Bird Conservation Centers or will be released to boost the critically endangered population in the wild.

Richard Switzer is the conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

Kinohi is gently stroked by keeper Karla Michelson to help prepare him for future handling.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009, was a pivotal day for the management of the ‘alala flock…and for the management of one particular bird: studbook #33, better known as Kinohi.

Early on Tuesday morning, staff at the Maui Bird Conservation Center packed up Kinohi into his specially modified bird carrier for the start of a momentous journey that would take him on a flight nearly 3,000 miles across the Pacific. The mission is an ambitious attempt to ensure that Kinohi’s valuable genes are passed on to future generations of ‘alala, hopefully helping to guarantee the survival of the species.

The ‘alala (or Hawaiian crow) is one of the most endangered species on the planet; its population is currently thought to be extinct in the wild. Only 60 birds remain, all maintained at the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program’s centers on Maui and at Keauhou (on the Big Island). With such a low population size, the gene pool is limited, and every bird’s genes are incredibly valuable. Because Kinohi is behaviorally compromised and does not recognize himself as an ‘alala, he has never shown any interest in breeding with females. Time is running out for Kinohi to pass on his genes – he was hatched in 1990 and is now entering the twilight of his years – and the only opportunities now lie in cutting-edge animal science.

Kinohi (and co-author Sharon) received VIP treatment as passengers on the flight from Maui to San Diego, thanks to the ongoing program support of Hawaiian Airlines. Belying his usual cantankerous demeanor, Kinohi was relatively mild-mannered en-route and seemed oblivious to the fuss, perhaps due to the sedatives that had been prescribed for the flight.

Kinohi's behavior is being monitored at the Harter Veterinary Center during quarantine.

Upon arrival, Kinohi was installed in his aviary at the Wild Animal Park’s Harter Veterinary Medical Center. Lead Hospital Keeper Jeff Fuller was there to welcome Kinohi, presenting the opportunity to discuss Kinohi’s idiosyncrasies and finer points of husbandry. After 30 days of quarantine, Kinohi will be transferred to an off-exhibit aviary at the Wild Animal Park’s Bird Breeding Center. Crucially, soon after his arrival, Barbara Durrant of the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Reproductive Physiology Division, will begin the intricate work of beginning to collect semen samples for storage in the Frozen Zoo. It is hoped that Kinohi’s sperm can eventually be used in the artificial insemination of female ‘alala once the techniques have been refined. See previous post, Massages for ‘Alala.

Although it is fully expected that Kinohi will live many more happy, productive years at the Bird Breeding Center, in the event of Kinohi’s death, staff at our Wildlife Diseases Laboratories are prepared to perform a rapid necropsy so that his tissues will be as fresh as possible for cultivation in the labs of the Genetics Division. It is hoped that the complex process of tissues culture will be successful and the Frozen Zoo will again be utilized to store the cells for posterity. Similarly, his gonad tissue will also be collected. See previous post, Preserving Hawaiian Bird Cell Lines.

In conclusion, the transfer of Kinohi to the Wild Animal Park and the subsequent effort to maximize his genetic potential represents an exciting collaboration between the Institute for Conservation Research, the Wild Animal Park’s Bird Department, the two vet departments, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Hawaii Division of Forests and Wildlife. In due time we all hope to experience the sight of Kinohi’s genes, represented and embodied in future generations of ‘alala, flying over the canopy of Hawaii’s native forests.

Sharon Belcher is a research associate and Richard Switzer is a conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo‘s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

Staff member Blake Jones shares why Hawaii birds are facing extinction.

The visitors learned from the staff about the main problems that are affecting the wild populations of endemic Hawaiian birds. These are introduced predators (mongoose, rats), introduced diseases (pox, malaria), and habitat degradation/loss (much from feral sheep, goats, and pigs).

There were thought to have been 140 species of birds in Hawaii when Europeans first arrived on the islands. Today, one-half of those are extinct. Of the remaining, about one-half are critically endangered, and many of them are presumed extinct.

Staff member Kara Kneubuhler introduced a tour group to three rare ‘alala in the education aviary.

Few people get a chance to see these birds. The ‘alala are extinct in the wild and there are currently 60 at the KBCC and our sister facility, the Maui Bird Conservation Center. The other species at the KBCC are critically endangered and live in hard-to-reach habitats. For example, Maui parrotbills are found in the remote high-elevation rain forests of Maui, and currently less than 500 remain. Puaiohi live in the Alaka’i Wilderness Preserve of Kauai and prefer habitat with steep ravines. The wild population may be as low as 200 individuals.

The hand-rearing lab window prepared for viewing.

A video allowed the visitors to see some of our field activities including collecting eggs from wild nests and releasing hand-reared birds as well as parts of the incubation and hand-rearing process that very few get to witness. Everyone learned about the tremendous effort put into each egg and chick and got a peek into a hand-rearing lab through a viewing window.

The grand finale of the tour was the ‘Alala Education Aviary, which is home to three ‘alala (Lilinoe, Lokahi, and Kekoa). Many were surprised at how big the birds are; they are larger than many of the crows found on the mainland. Visitors were also even more surprised to find out that such a large animal only weighs about one pound.

We also had the pleasure of hosting four artists from the Big Island. Jack Jeffery, Emily Herb, Elizabeth Miller, and Margaret Barnaby displayed and sold their bird-inspired artwork as the open house guests snacked on refreshments and had the opportunity to ask questions and talk to the staff.

The open house not only gave the public a chance to learn about our facility, but it also gave our staff a chance to share our excitement and passion for conservation of the rare and wonderful birds we work with daily.

Sara Bebus is a research associate at the San Diego Zoo’s Keauhou Bird Conservation Center.

Visit the Hawaii Endangered Bird Program blog section

Palila

Up at Puu Mali, the program’s field crew eagerly anticipated the birds’ arrival and had prepared two release aviaries. For just over two weeks, the palila remained inside these release aviaries while orientating themselves to the mountainside that was soon to become their home. Up at an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), Puu Mali experiences surprisingly bitter, cold nights, so this was also an opportunity for the palila to acclimate themselves to the novel temperatures while being fueled by the unlimited food provided by the field crew.

A released palila foraging in the mamane canopy, with bands and radio transmitter visible.

But the mamane forests, and therefore the palila, are under threat from feral cattle, sheep, and goats. These ungulates browse on the mamane saplings, preventing the new generation of mamane trees from establishing, and also strip bark and kill mature trees. The palila’s habitat has become so fragmented that the birds lack “corridors” that would enable them to migrate seasonally around the mountainside, following the fruiting of seedpods at different elevations. Additionally, feral cats and black rats have a major impact on nesting success as nest predators; it is thought that feral cats may even be causing a shift in population demographics, by depredating mature females incubating on the nest. Fortunately for the palila, the majority of its remnant habitat lies above the “mosquito line,” now estimated to be at an elevation of 5,000 feet, so avian malaria has impacted palila less than the many other critically endangered (and recently extinct) species of Hawaiian forest bird.

The majority of the palila population is found on the southwestern slopes of Mauna Kea, but we have been undertaking experimental releases of palila at Puu Mali, within the historic range of the species. In tandem with the releases, a team from the U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Division has translocated several cohorts of palila from the southwestern slopes of Mauna Kea. Preliminary evidence suggests that Puu Mali is able to support a population of palila long-term, despite only limited protection of the habitat from exotic predators and ungulates. Furthermore, released captive-bred birds appear to act as a “magnet” for the translocated flock that otherwise appears to have a strong fidelity to the southwestern slopes.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2009, the hatches of the release aviaries were opened for the fourth time since 2003. Within an hour, all seven birds were busy foraging in the canopy of mamane trees. As hoped, this spring appears to have provided a plentiful crop of mamane seedpods and flowers, with the result that the released birds have shown very little interest in returning to the open aviaries where supplemental food continues to be provided. In fact, this has enabled the released birds to forage far and wide, up to six miles (10 kilometers) away from the release site. This is presenting quite a challenge for the field crew who continue to monitor the success and survival of the birds by the use of radiotelemetry: long hikes up the cinder scarp and bumpy drives around the mountainside are a daily activity.

At the moment, the field team reports that five birds are being observed daily, alive and well, while a sixth bird has been proving more elusive to monitor. Unfortunately, the seventh bird was found dead a few days after release, apparently the victim of an introduced predator…a sad reflection of the ongoing threats to the palila population.

Meanwhile, news has just reached the field team that the palila flock at the KBCC has just started nest building. We now intend to intensify our release effort, with the goal of establishing a viable population at Puu Mali, so the program’s biologists eagerly await this season’s hatching of chicks, future recruits for release into the mamane forests on the slopes of Mauna Kea.

Richard Switzer is a conservation program manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

Read a previous blog about palila.
Read more blogs from Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program staff.

Palila cells

Andrea places prepared flasks in an incubator.

Preserved cells in the Frozen Zoo

Currently there are cell lines from over 45 Hawaiian birds in the Frozen Zoo, including nene, ‘alala, Maui parrotbill, puaiohi, palila, and Hawaii creeper. Sadly, in 2005 the po’ouli became the first extinct species represented in the Frozen Zoo. It will doubtless not be the last, but thanks to all the people working hard on this project, there is reason to hope that no more Hawaiian birds will end up on that tragic list.

Andrea Johnson is a research technician for the San Diego Zoo.

The Maui parrotbill is an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper that is related to North American finches. It inhabits highland forests on the eastern slopes of Haleakala on the Island of Maui. Its bill is specially designed to pick apart native plants in search of its favorite food, insect larvae. Maui parrotbills are monogamous birds, with both sexes cooperating in nest building and chick rearing. As with most native Hawaiian birds, the main threats to the Maui parrotbills are loss of habitat, predation, and disease. The wild population is estimated to be about 500 individuals. Not much is known about their natural behaviors in the wild, which makes captive propagation a big challenge.

In the wild, the chick can be cared for by the parents for as long as nine months. This is a very long time, especially for such a small bird. The reason for this is not well known, but it may be the time required for the chick to learn all the necessary life skills from its parents.

At the Maui Bird Conservation Center, we make every effort to keep our Maui parrotbill chick as “wild” as possible. To prevent the chick from imprinting on people, we made hand puppets to stand in for real parrotbill parents. Every time we went in to feed or move the chick, we used our hand puppets. We also played audio recordings of Maui parrotbill songs in hopes that the chick will learn to sing like a wild parrotbill. Once old enough, the chick was moved to an aviary next to a pair of adult Maui parrotbills. By exposing the chick to others of its kind, we hope that it will learn some natural Maui parrotbill behaviors. The more natural behaviors we can promote, the higher the chances are that these birds and their offspring will survive in the wild.

A Maui parrotbill at 20 days old

We know little about their natural behaviors in the wild and even less about them in managed care. We try to emulate, as much as we can, the natural habitat of the Maui Parrotbill. They do not breed very often in managed care facilities, so much of what we do continues to be a learning process. In a way, we are deciphering a puzzle, one piece at a time. In time, the more we learn about the Maui parrotbill, the better guided we can be in making the right decisions to best aid in the recovery of the species. We hope, with continued patience and dedication, we will be able to restore the Maui parrotbill to its native habitat.

Marisa Boyd is a research associate at the San Diego Zoo’s Maui Bird Conservation Center.